If you’ve missed Kaley Cuoco’s trademarked mix of wit and intrigue on your television screens, it’s about to pop back up in her new MGM+ series, “Vanished.”
Premiering Sunday night with Sam Claflin, the four-episode drama completes the actress’ triptych of TV mysteries following HBO Max’s “The Flight Attendant” and Peacock’s “Based on a True Story” — and that’s no coincidence.
“It’s the type of role I love playing. No one loves the big-eyed moment more than me. It’s the type of TV I like watching. I love a whodunnit. Where did this person go? How did this happen? I like being a character where the world is spinning ferociously around her and it’s a lot of reaction in real time. It feels real,” Cuoco told TheWrap. “Like, what if this happened to you? What if you were truly with someone that literally has been lying to you the whole time, but maybe for the greater good? Could you still stay with him? How would you feel? So it was kind of messing with my head in that way, which was good, and it stuck with me.”
Cuoco stars as Alice, who must uncover shocking secrets about the man she thought she knew when their couple’s trip to Paris takes a dark turn upon his sudden disappearance, plunging her into a web of intrigue and danger, per the logline. It’s a true crime plotline the actress enjoys both on- and off-camera.
“Listen, I should be hosting podcasts at this point. I am obsessed. I am obsessed because, a lot of these shows I watch or shows I’m a part of, I’ve heard and read so much that a lot of this stuff is very possible,” she shared. “I think we’re obsessed with why people make the decisions that they make, and it makes us actually feel a lot better about our own lives. It’s kind of like escaping ourselves. ‘Well, I guess I’m not that bad if they’re out there doing that.’ But this intrigued me in that same way, I’m obsessed with finding out the truth. I have so much curiosity about people and the decisions they make, and how it leads them to this and that. It’s an endless fascination to me.”
In addition to Alice, Cuoco has also recently portrayed the characters of Cassie in “The Flight Attendant” and Ava in “Based on a True Story.” And while all three women have proven themselves capable protagonists, whom would she trust with her life?
“I love all these characters so much, they all mean different things to me. Alice actually is the most grounded of these three women, I feel like she’s got her s–t together. Cassie is completely out of control, but full heart of gold. And Ava is, like, as real as it comes; she is me,” Cuoco said. “I was pregnant when I shot that, she’s obsessed with true crime. Now, she does things that are not good as that show goes on, but Ava’s real and she goes for the gold. So I would say Ava, which might feel very f–ked up because she did some dark s–t. But she is the girl next door, living her dreams for true crime, which is why I loved that show so much.”
The longtime actress’ other TV credits famously include iconic works such as “The Big Bang Theory,” “8 Simple Rules,” “Charmed” and “Harley Quinn,” just to name a few. Yet once again in “Vanished,” Cuoco is both the star and an executive producer.
“At this point in my life and my career, I want to work with people that I love, so ‘Vanished’ did check a lot of boxes for me. I love the director. The director and the writer are a father-son duo. It was such a wholesome project, in a way, and it had sat on their desk for, like, 10 years and it went away and then it came back. When I attached, we kind of built this little magical thing together, all in France, this small little family. It was wonderful,” she explained. “Being able to produce it and have my voice in certain things was great, but it was already set up in such a lovely way and I didn’t feel the need to have to intervene too much, you just kind of feel part of the team. You feel included.
“I’m a woman across the world, kind of on my own, I wanted to make sure I had as much of a voice as possible,” Cuoco added. “And then when Sam signed on, that was so exciting. I really was excited to work with him. It just made it extra special.”
Claflin agreed, telling TheWrap she’s a “superstar” and “potentially one of my favorite people.”
“She’s so grounded and normal. She could easily be a very bad person or a recluse or not wanting to get involved or kind of private, but she was nothing but wonderful and inviting and welcoming, a real team player. Just so committed and professional, but equally willing and wise,” he said. “She made it enjoyable for everybody, cast and crew. It always stems from the top and trickles down, and she was such a great leader.”
Their series also stars Karin Viard, Matthias Schweighöfer, Simon Abkarian and Dar Zuzovsky. The series was created by David Hilton and Preston Thompson, who also wrote and executive produced. His fellow EPs include Cuoco, James Clayton from Slow Burn Entertainment, David Kosse from Rockwood Pictures, AGC’s Stuart Ford, Lourdes Diaz and Miguel A. Palos Jr. and director Barnaby Thompson.
“It seems like a new sort of premise. It’s a man going missing and a woman investigating … what I think is quite unique is that she is sort of very normal, an archeologist, so she has a little bit of knowledge in finding things and unearthing secrets. It feels very real, very authentic,” Claflin teased. “Also, the fact that there’s also pepperings of comedy throughout sort of brings a lightness to what would be otherwise a very heavy subject matter.”
“What’s brilliant and also crazy about television is the options are endless, this just happens to be four episodes,” Cuoco concluded. “That’s actually what drew me to it, almost like we’re watching a long movie. You could take a break, but you’re going to move quickly and get answers quickly. It doesn’t extend too long, it’s just kind of there for you.”
“Vanished” airs Sundays on MGM+.
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